Angela Nissel’s newest e-book, Good Grief, Pass the Bread, Mom Is Dead, is my type of memoir. Certain, it’s a deeply emotional story about caring for a terminally in poor health guardian. Nevertheless it’s delivered with the type of gallows humor that I typically flip to to get me by way of powerful instances.
In fact, that type of darkish humor ought to come as no shock from Nissel. She first made a splash with The Broke Diaries, which grew out of a weblog she stored in faculty detailing her day by day struggles and, at instances, embarrassment at being a broke scholar. Finally she went on to provide and write for hit exhibits together with Scrubs and The Boondocks.
One in every of her most lasting contributions is undeniably Okayplayer, which she co-founded with Questlove. Although, as we’ll discover out shortly, being concerned with probably the most vital on-line retailers in hip hop is one thing of a bittersweet reminiscence for Nissel.
Oh, and he or she has my favourite GIF submission but.
What’s your most indispensable software?
A knockoff Swiss Military Knife. It was a present from the Scrubs grips over 20 years in the past. I all the time have a screwdriver, a knife, and a corkscrew in my pocket. I really feel like a badass.
Which is essentially the most underappreciated?
My canine. He’s analog and breaks down my cardboard bins in seconds. Now all of them match within the recycle bin.
What’s the first app you put in on a brand new cellphone or laptop? (Don’t depend preinstalled software program like Gmail.)
Craigslist. Youngins sleep on Craigslist. I’ve discovered a free patio set and within the early aughts once I was lonely and new in L.A. I made a buddy to go clubbing with. I forgot my pockets, and he or she thought I used to be scamming her and we by no means frolicked once more, however I nonetheless love Craigslist.
What’s one factor you would like you might change about your cellphone?
That I one way or the other nonetheless butt dial folks. The cellphone biometrically is aware of my face, however can’t inform when it’s my pockets by accident dialing somebody?
What websites do you will have pinned to your tab bar?
Wordle. Connections. Essays I swear I’m going to get round to studying however by no means do. Now I really feel badly. I’m going to learn one.
What number of tabs do you will have open proper now?
I restricted myself to 4 or my nervousness begins skyrocketing.
Which social media platform do you utilize essentially the most (if any)?
Instagram, as a result of I’ve been informed by my e-book writer that in 2026 I’ve to make “charismatic vertical movies” to promote my newest e-book. I’m engaged on being each vertical and charismatic.
What’s your blissful place on-line?
A small nook of Reddit the place we chuckle on the shenanigans of 1 celeb spouse. I really like that place a lot I even thanked our group by nickname in my newest e-book’s acknowledgments.
What’s your favourite gadget you’ve ever owned?
My first Fitbit. For an individual who grew up on Commodore 64s that took an hour to load video video games, wearable tech that immediately tells you ways lazy you’re appeared like one thing out of The Jetsons. Now robots are performing surgical procedures, and the goalpost for futuristic tech has moved.
Which was essentially the most disappointing?
Wearable tech that was alleged to shock me into breaking unhealthy habits. I used to be like, “Why am I doing this to myself?”
What recreation do you will have the fondest reminiscences of?
Citadel Wolfenstein! The mechanics of that recreation on the Commodore 64 blew me away! In fact, now, it appears to be like like Pong in comparison with newer video games, however once I performed it with my brother, I bear in mind feeling like I used to be sooner or later, but killing Nazis from the previous.
What’s one factor you would like you had created?
I want I’d created The Blackening. It’s a film. It’s so good that I’m uncertain how they bought it made. A number of brilliance tends to die in improvement out right here in Hollywood to make method for “positive cash wager” reboots.
What creation are you most happy with?
The groundbreaking website I created with Questlove.
That are you least happy with?
The groundbreaking website I created with Questlove. For 25 years, I’ve needed to reply questions on why the one girl concerned isn’t talked about within the creation of the web site, why the person I employed immediately changed me, or why I don’t know who owns the location. I’ve additionally discovered of what number of girls — principally of colour — have been erased from their creations because the Web moved from “cool place to hold” to company megamall. I’m happy with my half in Web hip-hop historical past, however I hate what number of girls I meet who’ve been erased.
What’s one of the best piece of recommendation you’ve ever acquired?
Be attention-grabbing and ! Meaning get offline and have issues to speak about in addition to what social media is speaking about. Regardless of us being so related, we now have a loneliness drawback within the US. Getting offline, taking area people faculty lessons, and free birdwatching teams has taught me a lot and given me new acquaintances, each fowl and human.
What do you do when it is advisable to focus?
Take an edible. I’m an skilled consumer now. They used to make me paranoid, however now I’m like an edibles grasp, and I do know simply the fitting dose to take so my nervousness disappears, and I can chill out into making some artwork with out the voice in my head that claims “This sucks! Everybody goes to hate this, and also you’ll die broke!”
What do you do whenever you’re feeling caught?
Give myself permission to chill out and absorb another person’s creation. Permission to be caught and get inspiration from another person’s e-book / film / Substack has been an enormous assist for me. There’s a lot wonderful artwork round, and once I take a look at different folks’s, it jogs my memory why I really feel the drive to create.
When was the final time you went someplace with out your cellphone?
Every single day I am going to the canine park with out it. I really feel we will be taught a lot from simply watching nature, together with our beloved mutts. I really feel we stole the sport of American soccer from how canines play. My canine is all the time protection, btw.
What’s the final piece of bodily media you acquire?
Books! Final e-book buy was If I Dominated the World by Amy Dubois Barnett.
What do you assume is value splurging on?
Something that offers you extra free time to simply chill out. So, once more, books, lol. For $20-$40 bucks, I get DAYS of mind leisure.
What would the tagline on your biopic be?
She had jokes, trauma, and a really suspicious relationship with pigeons.
What’s the final GIF or meme you used?
